does anyone know if matter will be retro compatible with the existing zigbee or z-wave controller? I have a husbzb-1 and would like to know if I have to replace it ?
Only if you want to replace all your existing Zigbee and Z-Wave devices with Thread/Matter devices 🤷
ok but what about all the new matter devices that will be available soon ?
Why would it matter (no pun intended). The whole point of Home Assistant is that you can use devices from all kinds of brands, protocols and systems and integrate them with eachother. Just get a Matter coördinator once there are interesting devices available that have benefits over current products. And Zigbee and Z-Wave won’t suddenly stop existing. There is yet a single Matter device to be produced that does something your current Zigbee or Z-Wave devices can’t.
I know but I was just wondering if should get my hands on the skyconnect coordinator or if there was a firmware upgrade that I could use
My point still stands, what’s the usecase to jump into Matter if there aren’t any interesting products for you? For all we know, Matter will be updated and they will build coördinators with better capabilities than the release versions (very much like Zigbee has). Just wait till there is a device you really want, which only works with Matter. Then buy whatever coördinator works best at that point. Perhaps there will even be one that supports Zigbee, Z-Wave and Matter in the future (meaning you will use both devices).
That’s like trading in your current car for a brand new one because it uses an extra technique, you can’t even use yet and is unclear wether or not it will be good enough when you finally do want to use it.
Anyway, to answer your question: The husbzb-1 has Zigbee and Zwave support built in. If you want to get the SkyConnect, you either will lose Z-Wave, or end up with an extra Zigbee network and the option to one day use Matter.
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Your coordinator needs to have a thread radio to support matter over thread. So firmware updates will be for any device that has a thread radio or a software defined radio that can be flashed with the current thread and matter standards. Note that there is a significant memory requirement above thread for Matter over thread so just because something runs on thread now doesn’t mean it will be matter compatible in the future.
The 1.0 version of the spec LITERALLY just released and with it the flood of vendors who are announcing. (Stacy on IoTs podcast should be particularly interesting next Wednesday…) but what seems to be happening is right now you’re seeing very basic devices. Plugs, switches and bulbs. BUT what is particularly interesting is the rash of announcement around Matter over WiFi devices. Many of people’s favorite wifi bulb vendors announced upcoming matter support. Also Amazon notably announced matter support in a bunch of thier devices (but over Wi-Fi only for now)
All of this to say. It’s still too early.
Right now im holding on buying anything until I know more (I do need three door locks to replace my old Schlage non-plus ZWave locks but can probably hold out a year when realistically we’ll see the first good matter compliant locks - prove me wrong Schlage) until then im going to experiment with matter devices ina way that doesn’t include running out and buying anything. Probably grab a cheap matter compliant wifi bulb after a manufacturer updates the firmware
Your existing hubsbzb-1 will probably never see Thread support. Even if the hardware could theoretically support it (doubtful), it is way too old at this point. Basic planned obolescence marketing prinicples means those chips have likely seen their last updates.
But…
Though the two are conflated, Matter and Thread are two separate things. You don’t need Thread for Matter support, and you don’t need Matter for Thread support.
I think the plan is to allow HA to expose most any device types supported by the Matter protocol as a Matter controllable device, much like HA can currently expose devices via the HomeKit and Hue Emulation integrations. If it comes to be, many of your existing zigbee/zwave devices will likely be accessible for control via other Matter platforms if you so choose.
This is really no different than the Matter support Hue or Aqara is planning. Those hubs are being updated to expose existing Zigbee devices via Matter. The hub itself may gain Zigbee/Thread dual protocol support, but (at least most) existing Zigbee end devices will remain Zigbee.
Whether you need a SkyConnect adapter for any new Thread device should be a matter of choice. If you want the most direct connection to HA possible, then yes. But they should be accessible via another border router if you so choose.
Still, we have to wait and see just how open all the parties make their systems. It is still possible to claim Thread/Matter support and be a mostly closed system.
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thx for the explanation … this is REALLY helpful !
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